“I’d rather go down the river with 7 studs, than 100 sh*t-heads” – Charles A. Beckwith (founder of Delta Force)
How Savvy Blue Collar CEOs Survive The "Great Job Reset" & Win the 2023 Hiring War
(Without Looking at a Single Resume)
When it comes to the hiring war of 2023, most CEOs are bringing knives to a tank fight.
Truth is, the hiring world has changed. Dramatically.
Post-pandemic chaos, supply-chain issues, Great Resignations…
Last year was bad enough – a quick glance at the news and anyone can see this year is even worse.
Sky-high inflation, political turmoil at home & abroad, a looming recession…
40+ million people quit their jobs this year already and business owners across the country can’t fill the empty seats.
Even worse… they can’t figure out why.
Do you know how to find, attract, hire and keep A-players in the months and years ahead?
How to outshine your competition, beat the job market & find “needle-in-the-haystack” hires?
People who not only have stellar certifications, experience & skills, but good character as well?
People you trust so much... you'd even ask them to watch your kids in an emergency?
There is a proven method to bringing this caliber of hires into your company:
Without needing to jack up payroll (or offer insane bonuses)
Without needing to look at a single resume
So you can build teams that can drive business growth for you
Leaving you more time than ever to finally take that fishing trip
The secret?
Ditch the old, outdated “rules” of recruiting (that are clearly no longer working)...
And implement these 4 new, counter-intuitive Talent Acquisition strategies that are winning the hiring war:
#1 - Stop Casting Wider Nets
Most business owners are stuck in the mindset of more:
More job postings, more applicants, more resumes, more candidates, more interviews…
But all that will get you in today’s job market is more bad resumes. More flakey candidates. More terrible interviews.
At best, this wastes time and money.
At worst, it paints a false picture of the job market.
Because after wading through a sea of crap, even mediocre candidates start to look like great hires in comparison.
Which leads to more mis-hires…
And it only takes one bad hire to ruin your company (and your life).
The solution is counterintuitive.
You’re not actually trying to cast a wider net…
All that does is bring in more sardines.
To catch a 200-lb Marlin – to successfully find, attract, hire and KEEP a true A-Player…
You need a different strategy. (And no, I don’t mean wasting your money on a recruiter.)
Let go of thinking you need to find more candidates…
And start focusing on attracting the right candidates.
How do you do that?
It starts with who you give the hiring process to…
#2 - Never Give Hiring to HR
Everyday across America, CEOs think the same thoughts:
Hiring is a people problem... HR deals with people… Give hiring to HR, right?
Wrong!
Giving hiring to HR is a critical mistake that ruins your hiring process from the start.
This is not meant to disrespect HR teams – or Admin teams, who often get hiring handed to them as well.
HR and Admin are great people.
But neither are equipped or trained to find top talent.
This is because HR and Admin teams, by and large, are logical people.
They deal with rules, processes, SOPs and systems.
And logical people create logical job ads:
Usually nothing more than a list of required qualifications and a bland description of the role.
To be blunt…
In today’s crowded job market, a logical job ad is garbage.
And if you put out garbage, all you’ll attract are flies.
To attract top-talent that will grow your business for you, you need to understand that hiring is not logical – it's psychological.
A-players are more than just qualifications or experience.
They think & act differently than B- and C-Players. They view the world and themselves differently.
A-players have a radically different psychology.
And if you don’t write a job ad that speaks directly to that psychology, A-players won’t even stop to read it.
HR, great as they are, are not the masters of psychology.
(That would be the folks over in marketing.)
Of course, it doesn’t matter how great of a job ad you write if the people you hire don’t stay hired…
#3 - The Myth of the “Revolving Door” Market
This one might hurt.
But if you think your market is a revolving door, you’re hiring the wrong people.
No CEO wants to hear this…
But to hire the right people, you need to slow down.
Most CEOs (because they are casting wide nets, and putting out garbage job ads) have to sift through piles of terrible candidates.
Or, even worse, they spend weeks and months getting no resumes at all.
Either way, by the time they find someone they actually want to talk to, most CEOs make snap judgments.
Most CEOs like to hire fast (and fire slow).
They think "If they’re a good fit on paper and I like ‘em when I talk to ‘em, I’m good with that.”
But if you want to win the hiring war, you need to hire SLOW (and fire fast).
You need to thoroughly vet each candidate.
You need to go beyond what looks “good on paper”
You need to have multiple members of your team involved in interviews
And you need to rigorously test for character (more on that below)
Of course, most CEOs will say “I don’t have time for that.”
But they will make time for mediocre, unproductive and disengaged employees.
(Be honest: how many of those are on your team right now?)
There’s no getting around it – hiring right takes time and energy.
But it will always cost less than a mishire.
Speaking of mishires…
#4 - Burn all resumes.
A 2020 study showed that 78% of job seekers lie on their resume.
Which is why your hiring decision should mostly be focused on character.
Anyone can look good on paper. Many can look good in an interview as well.
But there’s a major difference between someone’s past experience or outer personality…
And their true inner character.
Is the person you’re considering mentally & emotionally stable?
Can they solve problems on their own?
Do they take accountability for their actions (and mistakes)?
Will they blame poor performance on other people?
Can you trust them to do the job right?
Will they take short-cuts when no one is looking?
It's the answers to questions like these that will tell you whether or not you should hire.
Because character and talent cannot be severed; they are irrevocably linked.
Character is the difference between an A-Player that doubles your revenue in 6 months…
And a disaster hire who steals your money, ruins your reputation and drives your company over a cliff (it almost happened to me).
You’ll never find true character looking at a resume.
You can ONLY test for it.
How to Reveal Their True Character & Hire the Best Talent In Your Industry Without Reading a Single Resume
When it comes to sourcing, vetting and hiring true A-players for your company…
There’s nothing better than The MoneyBall Method:
A scientific talent acquisition system developed by Scaling Up coach (& former CEO) Corwin Smith:
• 12+ years of A-Player hires
• Average hire time of 30 days
• 98% success rate
• 60+ CEOs able to sit back & watch their teams drive growth
90-Day Performance Guarantee: If your first hire doesn't work out, we’ll replace them quickly. For free.
If You Want to Know How The MoneyBall Method Works, Keep Reading…
The “Great Job Reset” Continues to Wreak Havoc Across America…
“You're always worried that the people you're training up are just gonna jump ship.”
We are in the midst of the biggest workforce shift since World War II.
48 million Americans quit their jobs in 2021 and another 50 million are expected to quit in 2023.
Up to two thirds of your employees are thinking about changing careers or leaving you for a competitor right now
If you’re not nervous, you’ve either already got a team of A-players, or you’re not paying attention.
Are you prepared to fill empty seats?
Do you know how to hire great people who will stick around?
CEOs Are Being Crippled By the Cost of Turnover & Bad Hires
“We got the case almost done – looks like he’s going to jail.”
Replacing a single worker can cost between 100% and 300% of that person’s salary.
There are the hard costs of hiring, like job boards (upwards of $1-3k/month), training and onboarding…
But there are also soft costs, like lost time (& productivity) spent on job ads, managing job posts, sifting through resumes and interviewing.
What’s the cost of you and other leaders in the company taking your eye off the ball for weeks & months on end?
And then there’s the cost of bringing a disaster into your business…
A single bad hire can nosedive your company straight to bankruptcy (see my story below).
Bad hires can waste your time, drown company morale, spread a bad attitude…
And they can also damage client relationships & ruin your reputation – both as a service for clients and as a place to work (with bad reviews on sites like Glassdoor).
All It Takes is 1 Bad Valet & 6 Seconds to Wreck a $250k Ferrari…
Years ago, I hired a contractor for my fire/water damage restoration business, who seemed like a real A-player, with great experience, certifications and references.
Well, this “A-Player” ended up stealing $150k in projects from me.
I’d give him leads, and behind my back he’d develop his own invoices and siphon customers off my company.
To top it all off, he’d then half-ass the work or bail without doing a thing.
I didn’t catch on until a woman called me asking “Hey when are you going to come by and finish the project?” I had to go finish her house (and multiple others) for free.
I managed to save my reputation, thank God…
And the guy was eventually caught, arrested, and sentenced to 5 years in jail:
But I know there are plenty more scam-artists like that out there…
People who are pros at one thing only:
Lying their way into companies so they can take advantage of your trust and suck your cash flow dry – ruining your reputation in the process.
Lesson learned: All it takes is 1 bad hire & 6 weeks to (nearly) ruin a 7-figure business.
Are you sure you could catch a disaster employee before they got into your company?
Protect your company from criminals & scam-artists…
Unafraid of Being Fired, Workers Are Strong-Arming Employers & Increasing Their Demands
“They want raises when I’m already overpaying for mediocre work.”
Right now there are 2 job openings for every job seeker in the U.S.
Which means your employees are not worried about getting fired.
They know they have plenty of options to choose from.
In this kind of job market, employees have the upper hand… and they know it.
Some are using this power to demand better pay, more vacation and even more benefits.
…while others are taking advantage of the situation and “quiet quitting.
If you haven’t heard of this trend, it’s where workers are refusing to go above and beyond…
And are instead celebrating each other for slacking off, and doing just enough to keep their job.
How many people on your payroll are “quiet quitting” right now?
Make sure you never hire a “quiet quitter” again...
75% of Companies Can’t Fill Empty Seats
“There’s just no good people out there...”
In this hostile hiring environment, a massive 75% of companies are reporting difficulty hiring the talent they need – a 16-year high.
(To compare, last year only 66% of companies reported talent shortages – in 2023 we’re going to see that number skyrocket.)
The “talent shortage” situation is even worse for companies in the trades…
The average age of workers in agriculture, manufacturing and construction is 45.
Over half of the construction workforce is 40+.
For every 5 people that retire from the trades, only ONE person joins.
An estimated 31 million skilled trade workers retired in 2020.
10,000 baby boomers reach retirement age each day.
The entire trade industry is aging out – and those empty roles are not being replaced.
Only 6% of high school students consider a career in the trades these days.
And no wonder!
Most young people believe the only way to earn a good salary and build a good life for themselves is to go to college.
And most see trade professions as low-income, low-class, dirty work.
What 20-year-old kid wouldn't rather work on a laptop from home? (Or in Thailand?)
Do you know where to find & how to attract (and retain) top talent in your industry?
Be the company that attracts (& keeps) top talent...
Are American Companies Getting Desperate?
“My last four candidates were offered better pay somewhere else – what was I supposed to do??”
It’s human nature…
When people get desperate, they do crazy things to stay alive.
And CEOs are no different.
I recently came across a distribution warehouse in Texas that offered a $250 bonus every other week if employees worked their scheduled week.
It gets worse…
I’ve seen other companies offering attendance bonuses.
Business owners offered to increase wages $2/hour for one week of perfect attendance…
Give $100 bonuses for showing up on the first day of work…
And progressive bonuses ($100 for one full week, $200 for the second week, etc.) if they kept showing up to work.
I think that’s absolutely ridiculous!
If you have to pay people bonuses just to show up for work they’re already going to be paid for…
You’re clearly not hiring the right people.
Do you know how to make sure every person you hire is someone you can rely on?
Hire A-players who actually ENJOY showing up early, crushing it & leaving work late...
The Majority of CEOs Were Never Trained On Truly Effective Talent Acquisition Techniques
“Someone is better than no one… right?”
If you’re having trouble hiring the talent you need, you’re not alone.
The state of hiring is an absolute disaster in America right now.
But here’s the thing…
If you’re anything like the 60+ CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners I’ve worked with in the last few years…
You are also not alone in making critical mistakes in your hiring process.
Mistakes that attract low performance, bad attitude, toxic people into your hiring funnel
Mistakes that let scam artists and future “quiet quitters” slip through your ranks and into your company
Mistakes that not only completely miss the top talent out there (you’d be surprised how many killer hires you’re missing)...
…but actually actively repel the A-players you need away from your company
It’s because of these mistakes that CEOs get desperate.
Who wouldn’t when all you see is mediocre candidates for months on end?
Are you aware of the critical mistakes you’re making in your hiring process?
12+ years of hiring mastery, in 1 proven method…
To Win the Hiring War, CEOs Need to Master (Or Outsource) Hiring Strategies that Actually Work
“This guy is going to be a leader in our industry some day.”
For every stressed-out, frustrated business owner out there…
Hunched over his desk, jaw clenched, stressed out of his mind, trying to ignore texts from his unhappy wife as he struggles to find & hire the talent his managers can’t find for him…
For every one of those guys…
There’s a happy CEO enjoying a leisurely multi-day fishing trip with his family.
His phone is off.
The weather is balmy.
His mind is on nothing but showing his son how to change the line on his fishing reel.
Why is he so relaxed?
Because he’s got a team of A-players back at the fort.
A team of solid people he can trust.
People he can rely on to take care of his clients…
Run his business without a hitch…
And drive more growth than he ever could on his own.
If that sounds like a pipe-dream, that’s only because you don’t know what you don’t know about hiring.
When you know how to:
Stand out in a crowded job market
Attract the exact right people (talented, experienced, reliable) to your job position
Sift through those candidates to find the good, honorable people with character
Interview rigorously to weed out the scam-artists and the flakes
Hire & keep the best people (without needing to pay them more than they’re worth)
These skills give you an unrivaled advantage – not just in today’s job market – but in the entire economy.
Become the CEO your competitors are jealous of…
“This guy is golfing all day... and the company is skyrocketing!”
To Win the Hiring War, You Need The MoneyBall Method
“Testimonial.”
The MoneyBall Method is a 7-step hiring model backed by science & proven by 12+ years of results:
In case you’re wondering, “Are you a recruiter?”NO – we are not recruiters!
In our experience (to be brutally honest), recruiters:
• Tend to focus on resumes and “on-paper” experience
• Bring ZERO screening or vetting to the hiring process
• Often find people who are good in interviews (but don’t necessarily have good character)
• Have a “more is better” mindset and waste your time with piles of resumes
• WAY overcharge for mediocre services (typical recruiter fees are 20-25% of first-year salary – some up to 40%)
By contrast, most of our clients are SHOCKED how much less expensive the MoneyBall Method is…
…and how much more effective it is at finding A-Players you can actually trust.
How The MoneyBall Method has Helped CEOs…
Higher customer conversions in 3 weeks…
Tom desperately needed a Customer Onboarding Specialist…
But he & his entire team were so busy (doing their jobs), no one had time to put into managing job boards, screening candidates or interviewing.
2 months later and they were missing customer conversion goals because of the talent shortage on their team.
Once Tom brought us on, we found him a great candidate in X days, and she was hired in Y days.
Within 3 weeks of onboarding that hire, customer conversion rates were already going up!
“Can’t rave enough about how great she is. Culture fit, caliber of person – crushing it.”
“This guy is going to be a leader in our industry some day… unbelievable.”
A-Player hired in 15 days…
Chad was struggling for months to hire a certified Technician he could trust to take care of his clients…
But every person he found ended up ghosting him during the interview process.
This went on for so long, Chad had to start dropping back into the field to do labor and manage projects – on top of running his company.
Despite a nation-wide shortage of restoration Technicians, we found a WRT, ASD & AMRT (Water, Drying & Mold) Certified candidate that Chad hired 15 days after starting with us.
Needle-in-a-haystack candidates in 2 weeks…
When Doug needed a Financial Controller, he put some posts on Indeed and waited for top talent to show up.
4 months later, he still hadn’t found a single person worth talking to.
He admitted he was considering hiring a mediocre candidate simply because he needed someone. Luckily, we saved him from making that disastrous mistake!
Within 2 weeks of working together, we’d found Doug a strong candidate – miles beyond anyone else he’d seen up to that point.
“QUOTE”
“The candidates you guys are sending are SOLID. We are super happy with these hires.”
3 specialized managers hired in 60 days…
Fed up with poor candidates, he finally gave hiring to a person in HR – but she was not trained or qualified to find top talent and was unable to find anyone.
Within a month of starting together, we found Dusty a top candidate for a Project Manager role.
Next, Dusty asked us to find a QA Manager for him - which we did, within a week (they hired the guy 5 days later).
Dusty then hired us to find 3 more Project Managers for him (highly specialized roles, requiring extensive steel experience & qualifications) – we sent candidates within 13 days.
Next, Dusty asked us to find a QA Manager for him - which we did, within a week (they hired the guy 5 days later).
(Oh, and that HR employee is now happily back in her zone of genius!)
Want To Beat Your Competition & Win The Hiring War with The MoneyBall Method?
“One call with Corwin changed my business forever.”
Here’s What Will Happen On Our Call…
I’ll share all the details about how the MoneyBall Method can help you find & hire the hidden A-Players of your industry.
I’ll ask questions about your business to see if you’re a right fit for us. (Not everyone is.)
If it makes sense for you & your business, at the end of our call I’ll make you an offer.
Of course, there is NO obligation to sign up or agree to anything on the call.
I’ll keep it short – no more than ~45 minutes. You & I are both busy and I respect your time.
If you decide to work with us, we’ll get you started right away so you can hire ASAP!
And remember, if you end up not liking your hire (for any reason), we’ll replace them for you for free within 90 days.
“It was because of Corwin that my company went from 4 clinics to 26.”
Do You Qualify?
We’re currently working with X CEOs and only have time for a few of these Strategy Calls each week.
To make sure we can deliver timely results, we have to keep a strict cap on the number of clients we take on.
If you’re interested in learning more, I’d suggest applying for a call with me now.
If you wait, I’ll likely be booked up for weeks or months in advance.
(Of course, if you can wait a few months to hire, then you have nothing to worry about.)
The MoneyBall Method was specifically designed for companies making at least 7-figures of annual revenue – and works best for 8-figure companies.
If that’s not you, we’re not a good fit. If that is you, click below to apply for a call!
Who Am I?
I’m Corwin Smith…
• Father of 4 boys (ages 2-9!)
• Husband to the most beautiful, badass woman on the planet
• Founder & former-CEO of Rocky Mountain Restoration (sold for X-figures in 2016)
• Certified Scaling Up Coach
• Founder of Transcend Growth Business Coaching
I Believe Great Businesses Can Solve The World’s Greatest Challenges
…but after years in the trenches, I’ve realized the truth:
Businesses can only do great things when they are filled with great people.
If you’re a company doing great things for your community…
The MoneyBall Method can help you find & hire great people.
When you’re ready…
1. Click the button and on the next page there will be a quick form to fill out (~15 seconds)
2. Once complete, you can click over to my calendar, where you can pick a time-slot that works best for you.
3. Once you’ve picked a slot, you’ll receive an email confirming our date/time, plus a few more emails to remind you to show up.
See you on the other side!
“Great vision without great people is irrelevant.”
– Jim Collins
Use The MoneyBall Method To Fill Your Company With A-Players & Win the 2023 Hiring War
- ✅12+ years of A-Player hires
- ✅60+ CEOs served
- ✅98% hiring success rate
- ✅Average hire time 30 days
On this ~45 min call…
- I’ll share details about how the MoneyBall Method can help you find & hire A-Players
- We’ll take a look at your business & see if the MoneyBall Method would be a good fit
- If it does look like a good fit, I’ll make you an offer
- There is NO obligation to sign up on the call.
- If you do decide to work with us, we’ll get you started right away (so you can hire an A-Player ASAP)